ValerieWeek 13: The search continues
Well, it was a week of ups and downs. The search for the right homebirth
midwife continues,...

Valerie

Week 13: The search continues
Well, it was a week of ups and downs. The search for the right homebirth
midwife continues, though I've nearly exhausted the list of possibilities.
To bring you up to date, there is one midwife who lives "close" to me (that
is, about an hour away) who isn't taking anyone for the summer. There is
one who lives farther away, who seems PERFECT, but she is concerned about
the distance issue. There is our former homebirth midwife who seems to be
incommunicado these days. There is another KY midwife who charges way too
much for way too little. There is the lady who lives north of Cincinnati,
who also works as a birth assistant with the CNMs I used to see. Then there
is the duo I will most likely book with, who live in the same town as the
first midwife I mentioned, about an hour east of us.

I spoke with one of those midwives last week and we have set up a meeting
for a couple of weeks from now. This will be one of those Q&A "getting to
know you" meetings before I officially hire her...or I should say THEM,
since she works with a midwife partner. The interesting twist to this
meeting is the midwife from farther away, the one I'd really like to work
with, will most likely be joining us, agreeing to be back-up for the others.
The fee is reasonable. However, the one drawback is they don't do home
visits until the end of pregnancy. I'm hoping to talk them into some
alternative arrangement, possibly even some self-monitoring. You can
imagine the juggling act I perform toting my large family around.
Minimizing my outings would be helpful.

I'm trying now to think positively about traveling east for these occasional visits. After all, it's a drive into REAL country (everyone we know from Cincinnati thinks WE live in the boonies, and all the country folk think we live in "the city"). Instead of interstate driving, with hectic and
stressful traffic, it will be a relaxing drive through pretty scenery. It will be a nice opportunity for my two littlest ones to nap. Plus, DH's
family lives out that way, and I'd probably have willing babysitters
available if I needed a break. Yeah, it wouldn't be THAT bad. It could be
almost as relaxed as being home, if I set my mind to it. An interesting
book on tape could even make the trip educational.

My husband has decided to change jobs. He will basically be going back to
his former company, which laid him off last May. The change means more
travel for him, but also more money. With another mouth soon to feed, more
money will be welcome. Now, if I were planning a hospital birth or seeing
someone that insurance would pay for, the job change during a pregnancy
would be a bit unsettling. However, since the homebirth is completely
out-of-pocket, I don't have that concern that comes with inevitable
insurance change. And with the salary increase, maybe we'll be able to
resolve our van seating issue.